[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Fernando) wrote: >Author: name and email of main upstream author (copyright holder) >License: code describing license type >Original-Site: site/URL at which the package is originally stored
Yes. >We could even go further and specify the type of non-free license. >Common types are: >[...] >Shyware: free use and redistribution of binaries, sources not available > because author considers them still alpha. > >I don't think there are many more types. The precise terms should be available >in the "copyright" file, but since most packages would fall in one of >the previous categories, it would be really useful to have that shown >in a concise way before installing a package. There are also programs that fit this 'shyware' definition, but where the author doesn't consider the source code to be 'unfit' -- they just want to keep source to themselves. This usually seems to be for 'artistic' reasons... (justified or not...) I've come across this sort of license quite a lot recently, while trying to package up some of the adventure games from ftp.gmd.de -- the author doesn't give out source because he doesn't want you to be able to 'cheat' easily. For these games, porting is not an issue, because they are run using an interpreter, and the interpreter source is available. Bugs are handled by the upstream author, and in any case are not usually serious, by which I mean they don't usually affect anything other than the game player's enjoyment. If they crash the machine, it's the interpreter's fault, not the game's. I'm not saying that anyone -should- keep their source secret (quite the opposite), but it does happen. --Charles Briscoe-Smith White pages entry, with PGP key: <URL:http://alethea.ukc.ac.uk/wp?95cpb4> PGP public keyprint: 74 68 AB 2E 1C 60 22 94 B8 21 2D 01 DE 66 13 E2 -- TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Trouble? e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] .